Kolin, Lyme Disease Prevention

This is  a guest post by Joyce about Lyme Disease and dogs…. please read it is very important…..

My name is Kollin. I am four years old and you can’t tell by looking at me, but I am sick.
I have a disease, it’s called Lyme Disease and the Lady who loves me is very hurt because
it could have been prevented if only she had known that there is a vaccine available for
Lyme Disease. Everyone knows about Lyme Disease, but not everyone knows that there is a vaccine for it. That was our case, we didn’t learn of it until the Lady brought Lexi
home last Summer to be my playmate. And when Lexi was vaccinated she received the
vaccine to keep her well.

When it was time for my check up my Lady ask for me to me to be vaccinated too. That
was when we learned that I am already infected. Dr. Tina explained to us that when the Lyme vaccine was first developed  that it wasn’t very effective and that Lyme’s wasn’t a
problem in our area. That in recent years more cases of  the illness are being reported and
that the vaccine is much more effective in preventing this disease so now all her patients
are told that the vaccine is available.

It is very important to have your pet tested as Dr. Tina told us Lyme’s is a very sneaky disease. It can lie dormant for a long time and the only way to know is by a blood test. In our area the test cost $ 32.00, and my Lady says that I’m well worth it.

She went on to tell us that it is very rare for a dog to be cured of Lyme’s that it goes into remission and then flares up again and again through out a dog’s lifetime. Flare ups are treated with antibiotics and pain relievers. She told my Lady that I may or may not develop a fever and to watch if I became lethargic, loose my appetite, that I may limp but
wouldn’t have to, I may just lie around because my joints are inflamed and sore, that I may have trouble urinating, have swelling in my lymph nodes that these are all signs of flare ups. I am being treated with antibiotics now. She said that as time goes on that we will need to test my kidney function to see if there is any damage there.

The only good thing about this is that we now have knowledge and can treat any future
flare ups. I may develop arthritis and left UNTREATED I could develop nephritis leading to kidney failure, permanent damage to heart , joints and nervous systems could occur .

Flea and tick solutions aren’t enough my Lady applied them monthly. Don’t be fooled into thinking you’re alright because you live in a lower risk area, so do we compared to
other States. One tick, one time, one bite that’s all it takes. The only way to know is to
have your pet tested. The only way to protect them is to have them vaccinated . Do it for
the dog you love.

My best wishes that you and your dog will have many healthy and happy years together.
Kollin

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